Tang Zhou’s apology made Shen Zhixi’s eyes light up, as if stars were twinkling in them.
Her joyful mood could no longer be suppressed, and the corners of her lips eventually curved upward.
She thought to herself, his temper is actually quite good.
“Actually, my attitude just now wasn’t great either. I got impatient too,” she followed Tang Zhou’s lead and apologized as well.
Tang Zhou wanted to help her up but was afraid of accidentally touching her injured area again, so he only said, “Don’t pick them up anymore. The noodle soup is too hot, and the broken porcelain pieces are sharp. Just sweep them up.”
“Alright, I’ll go get the broom. There’s still some noodles in the pot anyway, so I’ll serve you another bowl.”
“Actually, I’m not hungry. The pot of porridge this morning was enough for three meals, and besides, I’ve been lying in bed all day without expending much energy. It’s you and your sister who’ve been traveling and must be tired. You…”
“Let’s not talk about that. I’ll go serve the noodles.”
Shen Zhixi didn’t allow him to refuse and went straight out the door, leaving Tang Zhou standing there, his brows furrowed with unease.
Soon, Shen Zhixi returned with the noodles and the broom.
“Tang Zhou, I’ll sit right here and watch you eat. I won’t leave until you finish, and we’ll just stay here like this.”
Such childish persistence naturally felt pointless to Tang Zhou as well.
He didn’t refuse again and took the chopsticks to start eating the noodles. Shen Zhixi propped her chin in her hands and watched him, her eyes filled with a deep smile.
After Tang Zhou finished eating, she went to fetch a basin of hot water for him to wipe himself down.
During this time, the two of them were surprisingly silent, neither bringing up what had happened earlier.
Once Tang Zhou had finished wiping himself down, Shen Zhixi entered again with the ointment, applying it for him just like the night before. Throughout the process, the two remained silent. When she finished applying the ointment, Yuanyang happened to arrive with the freshly brewed medicine.
“Drink your medicine and then rest. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
Shen Zhixi capped the medicine bottle and turned to leave, but Tang Zhou, who had been holding back for so long, finally couldn’t restrain himself and grabbed her hand. She reacted quickly, immediately letting out another cry of pain.
“Ouch, that hurts!”
Tang Zhou was startled and quickly released his grip.
He had grabbed her wrist without thinking, but he was certain he hadn’t used much force—certainly not enough to hurt her.
“Are you still going to hide it from me?” he asked.
Shen Zhixi took two steps back, clutching the wrist he had grabbed as if it were truly injured.
But in reality?
The skin on her wrist was fair and smooth, with no sign of injury—not even a red mark.
Her cries of pain were all fake.
This time, she couldn’t deceive him, so she didn’t deny it, but she still didn’t explain clearly, only replying vaguely, “This matter has nothing to do with you. It’s all my personal business, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Don’t need to worry?” Tang Zhou let out a laugh.
“Lily, tell me, how can I be at ease? I know something has happened to you, but I don’t know what it is. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel at ease. You came back so late tonight—what about tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night? Are you afraid I won’t come back at all tomorrow night?”
Tang Zhou’s silence was answer enough.
“Don’t worry, you’re still seriously injured at home. Even if it’s just for you, I’ll crawl back if I have to.”
“…” Tang Zhou opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.
After a long while, he finally managed to say, “I’m not joking with you.”
“I’m not joking with you either, Tang Zhou. Don’t interfere in this matter. Actually, it’s nothing serious—it’s about a relative of mine. I ran into an aunt in the city, and she kept me talking for a while, which is why I came back late. Don’t overthink it, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“It’s just that if tomorrow… in case tomorrow… of course, it’s best if nothing happens, but in case… no matter what happens tomorrow, no matter what you hear, don’t go outside. I hope you can promise me that.”
“…”
Tang Zhou sat on the bed, looking up at her, his eyes filled with confusion.
“Tang Zhou, promise me, okay?”
“No,” he refused coldly.
“Tang Zhou… don’t be stubborn with me.”
“The stubborn one is clearly you, Bai Linglan. You want me to ignore it if something happens to you—I can’t do that.”
“You…” Shen Zhixi appeared angry, but there was a hidden smile in her tone. “Even if you can’t do it, you have to. You have to listen to your savior’s words!”
With that, she turned and strode away, finally slamming the door shut with a “bang.”
Tang Zhou remained seated, unmoving, only his left hand, holding the candy, clenched tighter and tighter.
It was the second piece of candy Shen Zhixi had given him, slipped to him just before she applied his medicine, telling him to eat it after he finished the medicine.
But forget eating candy—right now, he couldn’t even bring himself to drink the medicine.
Shen Zhixi’s evasive words left him deeply unsettled. Still, it didn’t matter. Since she said something might happen tomorrow, he would wait and see what this big secret she was hiding from him was all about.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that Shen Zhixi would lock his door to keep him from going out the next day.
As he lay in bed, half-asleep, he was startled awake by the sound of the door being locked.
When the noise faded, he got up from the bed and felt his way to the door, pulling it to find it securely locked from the outside.
But he didn’t react, only silently turned back and sat on the bed, his expression frighteningly cold.
Whatever was happening, he was growing more and more impatient to find out.
The next day.
Shen Zhixi woke up early. She had slept late the night before, getting only a few hours of rest, and even then, she couldn’t sleep soundly.
Before going to bed, she had locked Tang Zhou’s door.
But she guessed that if Tang Zhou really wanted to open that door, the lock wouldn’t hold him back for long.
Soon, Mama Cui would arrive.
Her heart raced with excitement, making it impossible to stay still.
Yuanyang also woke up early, but it was out of nervousness. When she came to find Shen Zhixi, her face was full of worry.
“Miss, I’m scared.”
“Scared of what? Tang Zhou’s eyes can’t see anyway, and Mama Cui is older, with more life experience than us. When it comes to acting, she’ll definitely be better than us and won’t give anything away. Don’t worry. Let’s not think about it anymore—let’s go to the kitchen and see what’s for breakfast.”
Just as they finished making breakfast, the sound of a carriage and horses came from outside the courtyard gate.
“She’s here.”
Shen Zhixi raised an eyebrow, instinctively glancing toward Tang Zhou’s room. His door and windows remained tightly shut, and the lock outside was still intact.
“Bai Linglan, come out here!”
Outside the courtyard, Mama Cui’s voice boomed with authority.
“Last night I already told you, whether you’re willing or not, today you must come with me. I’ve promised Steward Liu that I’ll deliver you to his doorstep tonight. You wretched girl, if you dare ruin my plans, I’ll make sure you regret it. Becoming Steward Liu’s concubine isn’t something just anyone can do. If it weren’t for your somewhat decent looks, Steward Liu wouldn’t even glance at a village girl like you.”
“You two, come with me inside. Once you find that girl, tie her up for me.”
Meanwhile, Shen Zhixi remained motionless, while Tang Zhou, locked inside the room, had already moved to the window. He gently pushed it open a crack to hear more clearly.
“You wretched girl, don’t you even look at your own status? Are you really going to complain about becoming Steward Liu’s concubine?”
“Bai Linglan, let me tell you—whether you like it or not, you will become Steward Liu’s thirteenth concubine!”